Vrancea County

Template:Short description Template:Infobox settlement

Vrancea (Template:IPA) is a county (județ) in Romania, with its seat at Focșani. It is mostly in the historical region of Moldavia but the southern part, below the Milcov River, is in Muntenia.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, the county had a population of 335,312 and a population density of Template:Pop density.

Romanians – over 98%<ref>National Institute of Statistics, "Populația după etnie" Template:Webarchive</ref>
Romani, others – Template:Circa 2%.

Year	County population<ref>National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002"</ref>
1948	290,183 Template:Steady
1956	326,532 Template:Increase
1966	351,292 Template:Increase
1977	369,740 Template:Increase
1992	392,651 Template:Increase
2002	387,632 Template:Decrease
2011	340,310 Template:Decrease
2021	335,312 Template:Decrease

Geography

File:Milcov5.jpg

Hills near the Milcov River, which divides Moldavia from Muntenia.

Vrancea County covers an area of Template:Cvt. A curvedly shaped mountainous area, known in Romanian as the Carpații de Curbură, lies in the western part of the county, at the Southern end of the Eastern Carpathians, with heights over Template:Cvt. To the East, the heights decrease into hilly areas and the lower valley of the Siret River.

The main tributary of the Siret, which crosses the county, is the Putna River. A right tributary of the Putna is the Milcov, a river that divides Moldavia from Muntenia.

Seismic hazard

The territory of Vrancea County is the most seismically active zone of Romania, with yearly earthquakes whose focal depths are between Template:Convert and therefore affect wide regions.

The earthquakes with the epicenter in Vrancea are caused by the movements of the nearby fault blocks. Devastating earthquakes measuring 7 to 8 on the Richter scale have been recorded.

The deadliest were the 1977 Vrancea earthquake, which killed over 1,500 people in Romania and Bulgaria, and the 1940 Vrancea earthquake which killed over 1,000 people. The most powerful was the 1802 Vrancea earthquake with an estimated intensity of 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale, but which killed only 4 people. Other notable earthquakes were the 1738 Vrancea earthquake, the 1838 Vrancea earthquake and the 1986 Vrancea earthquake.

Neighbours

Template:Romanian counties map

Vaslui County and Galați County to the East.
Covasna County to the West.
Bacău County to the North.
Buzău County to the South and Brăila County to the South-East.

Economy

File:Vita de vie2.jpg

Vineyards near Focșani, the seat of Vrancea County.

The county is famous for its wines, being the biggest wine producer in Romania. Over 11% of the county surface is covered with vines. The county's best known wine regions are Panciu – Template:Cvt, Odobești – Template:Cvt, and Cotești.

In addition, the county's main industries are the following:

Foods and beverages;
Textiles;
Paper manufacturing and furniture making;
Mechanical parts and components;
Cookware and bakeware production.

Tourism

File:RO VN Suvorov statue.jpg

The Suvorov monument near Focșani

County's main destinations:

The city of Focșani;
Vrancea Mountains;
Soveja resort;
Tulnici – Lepșa – Greșu tourist areas;
Eternal Fire (Focul viu in Romanian) in Andreiașu;
Wine tasting and sales around Panciu, Odobești, and Cotești;
The Mausoleum at Mărășești;
Putna-Vrancea Natural Park.

Politics

The Vrancea County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

	Party	Seats	Current County Council
Template:Party color cell	PNL-USR PLUS Alliance	17	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell
Template:Party color cell	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	15	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell	Template:Party color cell